Valve lifter



Jah. 4, 1927. 1,613,015

- I e. 'BLUM VALVE LIFTER Filed July 24. 1925 aawahw @aawzw;

Patented Jan. 4, 1927.

STATES I GEORGE BLUM, or AKRON, IOWA.

VALVE LIFTER.

Application filed July 24, 1925.

My invention relates to a valve lifter of the tongs type, and has forits primary object to provide a valve lifter which will greatlyfacilitate the removal of the valve 7 pin.

Another object of my invention is to provide a valve lifter which is ofsimple, durable and inexpensive construction.

More specifically, my invention is embodied in a valve lifter havingjaws offset to one side of the tongs portion of the lifter, and in whichthe Valve rod receiving slot is parallel to and spaced entirely to oneside of the tongs, whereby the valve lifter may be inserted into thevalve spring casing directly from the front and perpendicular to theside of the engine without obstructing access to the valve rod and valvepin.

Another object is to provide such a valve lifter having features ofconstruction designed to render the offset aw members of suitablestrength and stability.

A still further object is to provide a novel latch for the'valve lifterhandles.

lVith these and other objects in view, my invention consists in theconstruction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of mydevice, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinaftermore fully set forth, pointed out in my claim and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side View of the valve lifter, parts being broken away tobetter illustrate the construction.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view,taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2, illustrating the latch. Fig. 4 is aperspective view showing the valve lifter in engagement with the valvespring.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view taken as indicated by the line 5-5 ofFig. 4.

Many types of valve lifters have been devised for compressing valvesprings to allow removal of the valve pin when it is desired todisassociate the valve from the valve spring of an internal combustionengine, and of these the simplest, most effective and most satisfactorytype has been the tongs type. The commonest form of tongs valve lifteris made of sheet metal having integrally pressed jaws formed at one endof the tongs, which are designed to engage the valve spring and push rodboss, respectively.

Serial No. 45,749.

In all of such lifters, however, the slot in the jaws is aligned with,or substantially aligned with, the handle or tongs portion of thelifter, and in using the lifter the mechanic must either insert thelifter at an angle to the face of the engine, or rotate it around thevalve rod as an axis until it is disposed at such an angle in order thatthe valve pin may be readily grasped.

In most types of internal combustion engines the structure of the valvespring chaniber or casing is such that it is diflicult to insert thelifter at an angle, especially in the case of those valves which aresituated in the extremity of the valve spring chamber compartments, ofwhich there are generally several. In many cases the insertion of thelifter requires a certain amount of pressure, and it is much moreconvenient to insert the lifter directly from the front for that reason.

In most cases the valve lifter jaws do not obtain such a firm purchaseagainst the respective objects as to insure stability against bucklingof the lifter or wobbling laterally, due to the pressure of the springwhich is being lifted. Therefore, while the spring is being lifted, itis desirable to have the handles of the lifter in a position where theycan be most readily secured by a firm grip of the operator, whichposition is perpendicular to the side of the engine.

It is also unsatisfactory to attempt to rotate the lifter after thespring has been raised because of the tendency of the lifter to buckleunder the pressure of the spring, and for the jaws to thereby lose theirpurchase.

It will be seen, therefore, that a lifter in which the tongs or handleportion does not obstruct access to the valve pin in the direc tionparallel to the handles is a decided improvement over types of liftersheretofore in use.

My improved lifter comprises an upper and lower tong member, which Iwill indicate by reference characters A and B, respectively. Each of themembers, A and B, is formed of heavy sheet metal, having the short leverportions, 10, and the long lever portions or handles, 11.

In order to gain strength the tong members are channeled, as shown inFig. 3, and the handle portions, 11, are rolled further lit;

near their ends into tubular form, as shown in Flg. 4.

At the ends of the short lever portions, 10, the metal of the tongs isshaped to form jaw members, 12 and 13, each of which has a depressedface, 14. Around the edges of the jaw members the metal is turned downso as to form along the straight sides of the jaw members an upstandingchanneled ridge, 15, and along the curved side or projecting sidethereof a channeled ridge, 16, which is.

inclined gradually from the portions, 10, of the tongs to the forwardends of the jaws.

(See Fig. 5.)

By thus inclining the ridge or head, 16, I find that a lateral supportis given to the jaw member which prevents the member from bending underthe strain imposed upon it by the lifting of a spring, and renders theentire structure substantial and rigid.

In the upper jaw, 12, is a valve rod ceiving slot, 17, and in the lowerjaw, 13, is a somewhat larger slot, 18, to accommodate different shapesand sizes of push rods.

Each of the tong members is provided with a pair of wide,integrally-formed, spaced ears, 19, those of one tong member beinginserted within those of the other, and the tongs being thus pivotedtogether by means of a rivet, or the like, 20.

By forming the ears, 19, of considerable width and depth and overlappingthem to the extent shown in Fig. 3, the tendency of the two tong membersto twist sideways under the pressure of the springs exerted against theoffset jaws will be effectively opposed.

I provide a. latch member to maintain the tongs in open relation after aspring has been raised, which comprises a strip of metal, 21, having anend looped back upon itself to form the loop, 22, which is closed bymeans of a rivet, 23. The other end of the strip, 21, is hooked, as at24-, to engage the lower handle member, 11. The loop, 22, is receivedover the upper handle member, 11, and is journaled upon the tubularportion thereof.

An intermediate hook, 25, is formed of a lip of metal struck up from thecentral portion of the strip, 21, and when the tongs are used tocompress aspring which requires to be raised to a considerable height,the jaws may be held at a position more open than that shown in Fig. l,by means of the hook, 25.

I find that the latch is a very simple and effective method for lockingthe handles together. It can be readily manipulated by the same handwhich grasps the handles of the tongs, the thumb being used to urge thehook in the direction indicated by the arrow, 26, and the forefingerengaged against the point of the hook, 25, serving to disengage thelatch by moving it in the direction indicated by the arrow, 27, in Fig.8.

The hooks, 25 and 2e are sufiicient to i re the necessary variation inlocking positions of the lifter, and by manipulating the hook with thethumb and forefinger as described, the latching of the lifter in openposition is very conveniently accomplished.

In Figs. 4 and :3 I have sho spring being lifted by the upper aw of i"lifter, the spring being shown at 2? ti valve stem at 29, the springwasher 3 and the valve )in at The jaw of 'th lifter has been inserted ina direction erpendicular to the face of the engine, the tongs portion ofthe lifter being disposed entirely to one side of the valve-sling, asshown, the valve stem having been retated to position where the valvepin, 31, extends parallel to the tongs of the lifter, from whence it canb readily seen auo can be drawn straight outwardly away from the engineby the fingers of the operator.

Some changes may be made in the C(;il struction and arrangement of theparts of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purposeof my im ,tion, and it is my intention to cover by my claim any modifiedforms of structure or use oi mechanical equivalents which may bercasonably included within its scope.

I claim as my invention:

In a valve lifter, a pair of tongs having jaws and having handles ofwhich one is cylindrical, and a latch comprisin a rip of sheet metalhaving one end ioop ed an said cylindrical handle, its other endpiovided with an end hook, and having its intel-mediate portion struckoutwardly to form an intermediate hook on the same side of the latch assaid end hook.

Signed at Akron, in the county of Pl Y outh and State of Iowa, this 7thday of July, 1925.

GEORGE BLUivii.

